TVB's Mark Lee Po-on said the station would dump its annual show and work with others to produce a similar programme. Photo: May Tse

Three radio stations set to team up with TVB in a new joint show to replace the television broadcaster's annual music awards are unlikely to give up their own award presentations.

The three have confirmed they are in talks with TVB on the new show, but say they have not yet struck a firm deal.

TVB group general manager Mark Lee Po-on said earlier that the long-running Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation - previous winners of which include Canto-pop legends Alan Tam Wing-lun and Anita Mui Yim-fong - will be replaced by a new show decided by public vote.

The move comes as weekly music programme Jade Solid Gold - a lead-up to the awards show - struggles in the ratings.

It has been scoring only eight to 12 points and at the end of October had 10, or 640,000 viewers.

"For TVB, a show with such low ratings should have been axed," and industry source said. "The awards show is not representative any more.

There is no guarantee that the jointly organised show will materialise in the coming year, according to RTHK.

The idea of co-organising the show came up years ago, head of corporate communications Amen Ng Man-yee said. Previously stalled negotiations resumed only this year.

James Fung Wai-tong, the station's chairman of music co-ordination, said RTHK would organise its own Top 10 Chinese Gold Song Awards as scheduled this year. "We won't give up our own show easily. It is the most open one, and its fairness is highly recognised," he said.

The public broadcaster has been given the task to come up with a voting mechanism for the new awards

"In principle we agree with having one unified award based on public voting," Commercial Radio's chief executive officer Stephen Chan Chi-wan said. "But we are keeping our own awards show."

It is equally unlikely Metro Radio will give up its own music awards. "The prizes are to reward the artists who do well. They are really happy about getting awards," a spokeswoman said.

Stations are understood to be reluctant to scrap their awards because they are needed to maintain a good relationship with singers who attend and perform at their functions.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Radio stations keen to keep awards